"Why Not Me?" - A Musical Analysis

It seems like every time I look around me people are on their electronics. This is something that I used to do a lot as well and still struggle with to this day. In high school I was a pretty anxious person and liked keeping to myself. If I was nervous or didn't find a conversation going as planned, I would always resort to my phone as a way to cope with the stress and social anxiety. However, as I went into my junior year, I was recommended this song by a friend. It's a simple song with some happy lyrics, but it's those lyrics that made me think about what I had been doing and the experiences I was missing out on just by indulging in by electronics/possessions. After listening to this song for about a month, I decided I was going to start enjoying life more. When someone began talking to me, it didn't matter what I was doing on my phone, I would put it down and listen. When I went on sports trips, I would talk to people that I didn't know and pull the air pods out of my ears. As the year moved along I ended up going to homecoming and prom (I had never gone to either before) and made incredible connections with people that I never knew. I realized that my phone and social media had been stunting my growth as a person and that without them, I could finally build myself as a person. "Why Not Me" by Forrest and Bisqwik was the song that helped me overcome my social anxiety and start living life to its fullest.

 Here is the link since I can't find the official video:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8463BZqzjQY

About the Music:

This song was created in 2018 by Forrest Frank and Colin Padalecki. The lyrics and mixing were created by them as well with Forrest Frank singing.

Lyrics:

The lyrics of the song are what really hit home for me. They are really happy sounding, but the message behind them is what is important. The first lyrics that I payed attention to were the ones that create the meaning of this song (Verse 2):

"Mmm, my confession
Sunshine is my obsession
You’da probably noticed but your way too possessed by your possessions
You just sit there scrolling
I’m going to a place where I don’t have to deal with loading and the terms and conditions
I’m concerned with the conditions
While the fake be taking pictures, all the lonely taking pictures"

In this part of the song, Forrest is saying that people are too possessed by their phones and social media. I related to this, because I had a hard time living in the moment due to being a shy kid. I sat there scrolling my problems away, taking pictures of every moment instead of living them. The second part that reached out to me was the bridge:

"Check the scriptures
Wake up, breathe, relax, remember, aye
There's way more to life than getting retweets on your twitter
Hey baby, put your phone down, put your phone down
Put ya, put your phone down"

In this part of the song, Forrest is saying that there is more to life than other people giving you recognition on social media (retweets, likes, etc...). For a long time, this is what I believed popularity was (getting followers and likes on Instagram and whatnot). Because I wasn't allowed to have social media throughout most of high school, I thought that I would never achieve people liking me very much or popularity. This isn't it at all, though, and I recognized that through the song.

The lyrics of this song are really reminiscent of how much we miss in life by valuing our electronics and possessions more than our experiences and memories. By recognizing this, I was able to develop more as a person.

Tempo and Beat:

The tempo sounds quick in this song. It may not seem like that at first, however, when the snare kicks in you can hear the fast subdivisions of the beat. I believe this steady beat is a symbol of a steady and balanced life without worrying about social media, status, or worldly possessions (e.g. cellphones). It is a solid beat that lays out the framework for the lyrics and creates a nice relaxing song.

Chords:

The chords are what make this song so relaxing and are honestly my favorite part of the song. They are designed to make you feel care-free and happy. They stay the same throughout the whole song, which again can symbolize the steadiness of a life without the worries of social media and technology. On the piano I tested the first chord that you hear in the song and it appears to be a form of a G major chord, but instead of G - B - D, it goes B - D - F# - A. This chord then falls down few steps chromatically. This cycle repeats itself over and over in the background with the occasional beats mixing in. I have also seen these chords in other songs and they are just as beautiful and give me the same happy and relaxed emotions.

Instrumentation:

The main instrument that can be heard in the background is a guitar, however, this can easily be swapped out for a ukulele or a piano  (I have played this song and some others like it on the ukulele and the piano). Later on in the song, a beat comes in (I think it is a snare or some kind of electronic beat). I really like the instrumentation of this song, as I play most of these instruments and understand the chords enough to play it.

Sources:

“Forrest. (Ft. Biskwiq) – Why Not Me.” Genius, 1 July 2018, genius.com/Forrest-why-not-me-lyrics. 

(link to page): https://genius.com/Forrest-why-not-me-lyrics

“Forrest. (Us) - Why Not Me (Chords).” Guitar.Com, 2 July 2020, tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/forrest-us/why-not-me-chords-3229604.

(link to page): https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/forrest-us/why-not-me-chords-3229604